Forti Corse is my guilty pleasure in the Formula One

It’s March 1995 when a new team appears on the starting grid for the first race of the season. It’s the championship winning Forti Corse team that will try their luck in the Formula One. Similar to the unraced DAMS design the car looks outdated before it even drove a single round around Autódrome José Carlos Pace. With an all Brazilian line-up consisting out of ace Roberto Moreno and rookie Pedro Diniz the team was ready. The FG01 wasn’t that bad after all, the future looked bright, until Diniz left Forti for Ligier. With monopoly money from Shannon, the team disappeared during the 1996 season. Yet it is Formula One’s guilty pleasure, as is Pacific Grand Prix by the way.

Most of the 1990s teams that faded away due to money scandals, strange management or simply bad luck were guilty pleasures. However, looking back at it after 30years I have to say that Forti Corse is my guilty pleasure in the Formula One. For the simple reason, they produced the FG01, the appeared in Brazil and Pedro Diniz finished tenth in the race. In today’s standards, it would mean one point. It would have been enough in 1995 to secure the teams future.

Though, that’s not all it is the story of the team and their journey in their short existence in the Formula One. The team appeared in a time it was still possible to appear on the grid with minimum financial backing. They did in my opinion a decent job, in 1995 and 1996 they did not change the drivers in-season like Pacific and Minardi did to gain some extra money. Instead, they believed in the constancy of the team. As I wrote about it five years ago, teams like Forti did an amazing job. With current Formula One point system they would have scored 10points, with a best seventh finish in their debut year!

I know, it is 1995 and not 2025 where team owners are begging for money. As well blocking entry for new teams because they will not get their revenue from broadcasting the races. Which says enough in my opinion. The years, I believe, Forti Corse was active in the sport were tougher then today.

It is not the results; it is the story behind these teams what makes it my guilty pleasure. Their original plan to debut in 1994 only to skip it and make the jump in 1995. Especially in 1996 where Guido Forti managed to bring his team again on the grid after losing Pedro’s financial backing. With Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini as their drivers. The FG03 was a beautiful car; it would have given the team points if it was not for Shannon. The sponsor that threw with monopoly money from Fin First promised mountains though gave bins full of garbage.

There were rumours and quotes from Guido Forti that he was looking to bring his team back on the grid in 1997. However, as the Formula One accelerated from that point on the costs were rising there was on room for privateers anymore. Which we can see in 2025, Williams is not Williams any more Haas is not really a privateer and Austin Martin is backed by a billionaire.

I can still enjoy the old races from 1995 with Pedro and Roberto pushing the grid ahead of them. Chasing and battling for P14 or P10 knowing it would not be enough. Yet, the atmosphere, the feeling, the overall package of action looked much better back then compared to today. I’m glad, even I was five, watched Formula One back then and got the glimpse of the yellow car with green rims. Which kid doesn’t love that?